Drinking straw for double contrast radiography

ABSTRACT

The drinking straw has two tubes fixedly secured to each other so that one of the tubes, for gas, extends substantially further into the user&#39;&#39;s mouth than the other of the tubes, for barium sulphate in aqueous suspension; enabling the patient simultaneously to take into his gastro-intestinal tract both barium and gas to permit double contrast radiography of said tract.

Unlted States Patent 1191 [111 3,749,312

Panzer 1 July 31, 1973 [54] DRINKING STRAW FOR DOUBLE 2,557,411 6/1951Butsch 239 33 CONTRAST RADIOGRAPHY 3,260,462 7/1966 Smaczny..... 239/333,463,361 8/1969 Cook et al. 239/33 [76] Inventor: Norman Panzer, 71Blanchard Rd.,

South Orange 07079 Primary Examiner-Lloyd L. King [22] Filed; Apt 7 1972Attorney-Robert Henderson [2]] Appl. No.: 247,998 57 ABSTRACT Thedrinking straw has two tubes fixedly secured to [52] US. Cl. 239/33 eachother so that one of the tubes,.for gas, extends [51] Int. Cl. A47g21/18, A61 j 15/00 substantially further into the users mouth than the[58] Field of Search 239/33, 31, 24 other of the tubes, for bariumsulphate in aqueous suspension; enabling the patient simultaneously totake [56] References Cited into his gastro-intestinal tract both bariumand gas to UNITED STATES PATENTS permit double contrast radiography ofsaid tract.

5/1924 Hills 239/33 5 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures DRINKING STRAW FORDOUBLE CONTRAST RADIOGRAPHY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is known thatdouble contrast radiography may be employed advantageously to obtain asatisfactory picture showing a lesion in the gastro-intestinal track ofa person.

Such double contrast, for radiographic purposes, has hitherto beenachieved by introducing both a gas and barium sulphate in aqueoussuspension (herein usually referred to as barium) into said tract. Thegas and barium have different X-ray absorption characteristics than eachother and than the human tissues being radiographed, giving rise to arelatively clear picture showing any lesions.

The gas may be generated in or introduced into the tract by the use of aSeidlitz powder or by ingesting a carbonated drink. However, theseprocedures may cause foaming and/or flocculations capable of obscuring alesion in the resultant radiograph. Said procedures, also, are timeconsuming and relatively costly.

Straws having two tubes are known in the art relating to straws but, asfar as this applicant is aware, none of them is adapted for introducinggas into one's gastrointestinal tract at about the same time butseparately from and in advance of a liquid. Where the gas is mixed withliquid being taken in, as is the case with known straws, foaming takesplace with the already indicated unsatisfactory radiographie results.

Relatively satisfactory results have hitherto been achieved byintroducing a suitable gas such as carbon dioxide into thegastro-intestinal track through a tube which is projected through thenose, throat and esophagus, and thence into the stomach. While theradiographie results of this procedure are quite satisfactory, thementioned use of a tube is a cause of considerable discomfort to apatient. It also requires professional medical service with someattendant medical costs.

THE PRESENT INVENTION OF A DRINKING STRAW IS A BOON TO RADIOGRAPHY Thepresent invention arises from the applicants discovery that the use of adual-tubular straw wherein gas precedes barium into the patients mouthresults in the gas being taken into the gastro-intestinal track alongwith the barium without objectionable foaming. Thus, the two media,barium and a gas such as air, serve to enable the taking of aradiographic picture which will clearly show lesions present in saidtract.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWING FIG. 1 is a sideelevational view of a dual-tube drinking straw according to thisinvention as related, in use, to a container of liquid which may bebarium, and to the mouth of one taking in both the liquid and air.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the drinking straw on the line 2-2of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are cross-sectional views of certain modifications of thedrinking straw.

FIG. 5 is a view, of the same general character as FIG. 1, illustrating,in longitudinal section, the manner in which the inner tube of FIG. 4may be extended through the wall of the outer tube to ambientatmosphere.

DETAILED SPECIFICATION Referring to FIG. 1, a main tube 10 with anaccordion-pleated portion 11 formed therein to provide flexibility hasits intake end portion 12 immersed in a liquid supply 13 which may bebarium, and its output end portion 14 held in a patients mouth fortaking in the liquid in a well understood manner.

A supplemental tube 15, preferably bent as illustrated, has an airoutput portion 16 fixedly secured to the output end portion 14 of themain tube, preferably in parallelism to the latter portion andprojecting substantially further than the latter into the patientsmouth. The tube 15 has an air intake portion 17 in communication withthe air output portion 16 and bent somewhat from the general line ofextension of the portion 16.

The two tubes 10 and 15 may be fixedly secured to each other by anysuitable means, not specifically shown, such as, for examples, a tapebinding holding the two together, limited fluxing of the two by heat, orby the use of a suitable adhesive.

The bend in the supplemental tube 15 and the length of the latters airintake portion 17, considered together with the flexibility of the maintube 10, should be such as to enable a patient to take in the barium andair not only when the patient is in an upright position but even whenthe patient may be in a prone position upon an X-ray table.

In the modification of FIG. 3, the main tube 10a is formed with alongitudinal depression 18 to fixedly, adherently and complementallyreceive the supplemental tube 15 therein.

In the modification of FIGS. 4 and 5, the supplemental tubes air outputportion 16 extends within the main tube 10b and, by suitable means, iscaused to adhere to the inner wall of the main tube as at 19. At thebend of the supplemental tube 15, the latter extends through a wallopening 20 in the main tube so that, as in the other embodiments, thesupplemental tubes air intake portion 17 is in communication withambient atmosphere. Asuitable seal (not shown) is provided where thesupplemental tube extends throughthe wall opening 20 of the main tube.

The tubes of this straw may preferably be of suitable plastic material.Also, the projection of the air output end portion 16 of thesupplemental tube 15 beyond the liquid outputend of the main tube 10, or10b, may be of the order of one-half inch to three-fourths inch. It hasbeen found that the desired functioning of the subject straw may berealized by providing for the diameter of the supplemental tube to befrom one-fifth to one-third the diameter of the main tube.

It will be realized that this invention provides inexpensive means whichmay be comfortably utilized in the procedure of double contrastradiography.

I claim:

l. A drinking straw for use in double contrast radiography, comprising amain tube for transporting X-ray absorptive liquid and a supplementaltube for transporting a gas; said tubes having input portions forcommunicating, respectively, with a source of such liquid and a sourceof gas, both of which sources are external of a patient, said tubes alsohaving output portions adapted for insertion into and opening into thepatient's mouth, said output portions being fixedly butnon-intercommunicatively interconnected, with the open end of the outputportion of the supplemental tube extending substantially beyond the openend of portion of the main tube being formed with acrosssectionallyarcuate, longitudinal recess and said output portion of the supplementaltube being disposed in said recess.

5. A drinking straw according to claim 1, said output portion of themain tube being formed with a wall opening distal from the latterportions open end, said supplemental tube having its output portiondisposed within the output portion of the main tube, its input portiondisposed externally of the main tube, and an intermediate portionextending through said wall opening.

1. A drinking straw for use in double contrast radiography, comprising amain tube for transporting X-ray absorptive liquid and a supplementaltube for transporting a gas; said tubes having input portions forcommunicating, respectively, with a source of such liquid and a sourceof gas, both of which sources are external of a patient, said tubes alsohaving output portions adapted for insertion into and opening into thepatient''s mouth, said output portions being fixedly butnon-intercommunicatively interconnected, with the open end of the outputportion of the supplemental tube extending substantially beyond the openend of the output portion of the main tube so that, of fluid sucked inthrough the straw by the patient, gas from the supplemental tube willprecede liquid from the main tube into said tract.
 2. A drinking strawaccording to claim 1, said output portions of the two tubes beingsubstantially parallel to each other, and said input portions extendingangularly apart with the supplemental tube opening to ambientatmosphere.
 3. A drinking straw according to claim 1, said outputportions being circular in shape in cross-section.
 4. A drinking strawaccording to claim 1, said output portion of the main tube being formedwith a cross-sectionally arcuate, longitudinal recess and said outputportion of the sUpplemental tube being disposed in said recess.
 5. Adrinking straw according to claim 1, said output portion of the maintube being formed with a wall opening distal from the latter portion''sopen end, said supplemental tube having its output portion disposedwithin the output portion of the main tube, its input portion disposedexternally of the main tube, and an intermediate portion extendingthrough said wall opening.